The former air services site in Cranebrook is under threat from a huge housing development that will see an estimated 1800 residents in 610-740 dwellings. The site is an important wildlife corridor linking the former ADI site in St Marys to the Blue Mountains.
The site has immense conservation value and should not be developed in any way. The site should be returned to public ownership. The land should be acquired by the NSW Government and put into the management of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service so that conservation and passive recreation outcomes can be achieved for the community.
IFC Capital Ltd Development Proposal
IFC Capital Ltd has lodged a new development proposal with the NSW Government. They have bypassed Penrith Council and gone straight to the Planning Minister Frank Sartor and applied to have the site listed on the Metropolitan Development Program and assessed as State Significant Development which, if allowed, means Frank Sartor becomes the sole consent authority and can rezone the site for development with little or no input from the local community or Penrith Council.
The new IFC proposal will now be a massive overdevelopment of the site. They have scrapped plans for a 180 lot rural subdivision and now propose:
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84 hectares of residential land catering for 610 – 740 lots down to 350 square metres with detached housing, and other forms of housing including three storey town houses
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1800 residents
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8 hectares of storm water and flood mitigation
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89 hectare conservation area
Map of the development proposal and the types and locations of housing as lodged with the NSW Dept of Planning is here.
This link will open up locations of the vegetation communities mapped by DECC in 2007 when the site was used to pilot the Biobanking methodology.
A new 18 megabyte movie has been added explaining the latest situation. View the video.
Take action
Penrith Council is meeting soon to discuss the Cranebrook development. Write to councillors urging them to:
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Support conservation of the entire site
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Rezone the site for E2 Environmental Conservation in Stage 1 of the Penrith LEP
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Pursue the NSW Government to urgently acquire the site so that it can be protected as a new Regional Park
